Bar selector



April 14, 1970 J. E. GLASSON 3,506,108

BAR SELECTOR Filed Nov. '24, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mum roe c/f/M/ f/Y/li 62/4550 z/fl Zw Wight April 14, 1970 Filed Nov. 24, 1967 J. E. GLASSON BAR SELECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,506,108 BAR SELECTOR Jean Emile Glasson, Argentenil, France, assignor to Botalam, Paris, France, a corporation of France Filed Nov. 24, 1967, Ser. No. 685,609 Claims priority, applict7ion France, Dec. 12, 1966,

Int. Cl. 1365,, 47/26, 17/46 US. Cl. 19834 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a selector for bars or rods which are supplied transversely and in a continuous or noncontinuous layer, comprising an accelerator which is capable of engaging the head ends of bars one by one so as to impart thereto a forward movement of increasing velocity and then to deliver said bars to a separator or to an intermediate transfer unit.

As is already known, selectors of this type are placed in metallurgical plants downstream of a section from which the bars are delivered either transversely in a continuous or noncontinuous layer and in the majority of cases on parallel conveyor chains. The design function of the selector is therefore to transfer and to count the ends of the bars as they pass on to the separator or to an intermediate unit.

As a rule, the separator is constituted by a device comprising a series of sprocket-wheels or chains fitted with coaxial and synchronous flights which swing the bars forward for tipping.

However, known selectors are subject to a disadvantage in that the tail ends of bars, namely the ends remote from those which are engaged by the accelerator, are left free in the bar-layer. Consequently the acceleration imparted to the head ends of bars and the resultant deformations to which the bars are subjected produce backward movements or at least disordered movements of the tail ends of the bars, with the final result that said tail ends become tangled and disturb the operation of the selector.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantage just mentioned. To this end, the invention is directed to a selector of the type hereinabove defined which is essentially characterized in that at least one progressive-power electromagnet is placed approximately beneath the tail ends of the bars which are engaged by the accelerator.

It is thus apparent that the tail ends of the bars continue to travel in the layer in a movement which is not disturbed as they draw nearer to the electromagnet by virtue of the progressive action of this latter but that, on the contrary, said movement is regularized by the electromagnet in the zone in which its action is greatest by reason of the fact that, in this zone, said tail ends are applied against the chains by said electromagnet.

In accordance with a significant improvement which comes within the scope of the invention, provision is made for a plurality of progressive-power electromagnets which are placed approximately beneath the bars which are engaged by the accelerator.

The aforesaid improvement thus contemplates the presence, not of one electromagnet beneath the tail ends of bars, but of a series of electromagnets which are advantageously spaced in a uniform manner beneath the layers of bars between the head ends and tail ends. By virtue of this arrangement, the movement of the entire bar-layer is accordingly regularized.

Moreover, the tail ends of bars which are too short are subjected to action of at least one electromagnet.

Finally, the series of electromagnets holds any bars whose head ends may not have been engaged by the accelerator and which, in such a case, would not have been counted. These supernumerary bars are therefore isolated from the layer and are reliably caused to drop into the space provided between the bar-layer and the separator or intermediary transfer unit.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electromagnet or each electromagnet is constituted by a succession of pairs of coil units interposed between a bottom permeable-iron plate and two top pole-plates which are divided by transverse grooves into zones which extend over the successive coil units.

As an advantageous feature, the electromagnet or each electromagnet is accordingly enclosed in a nonmagnetic casing whose top face is located in very close proximity to the bar-layer.

A clear understanding of the invention will in any case be gained from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings which are given by way of nonli-mitative example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top view of a selector in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the selector, this view being taken along the line IIIl of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial transverse sectional view of an electromagnet, and

FIG. 4 is a corresponding partial top view with a part which has been broken away.

There is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a selector comprising a series of endless chains 1 which are passed over guide sprockets 2 and thus form a continuous constant-speed track for bars 3 which advance in transverse array in the direction of the arrow F.

It is also known that said bars must be transferred one by one to a separator, the first element of which is constituted in this case by a series of wheels 4 with spaced points or so-called star wheels which are all driven in synchronism on a common shaft 5 by means, for example, of a motor 6 and a belt-drive system 7.

Each end of the bars 3 must be brought level with one point of the first star wheel which carries the end forward so that it can then be taken by the following point of the following star wheel and so on in sequence. Thus, the bars are swung forward along the line of star wheels until they finally reach a receiving cradle which is placed at the bottom of the ramp 8.

To this end, use is preferably made of an endless screw 9 which is associated with a bar-head counter 10.

The side-plate 11 which carries the shafts of the sprockets 2 and star wheels 4 is fitted with two bearings 12 and 13 for the endless screw 9, the worm 14 of which is of increasing pitch or is made up of a plurality of sectors each having a pitch greater than the preceding. The endless screw is driven from the shaft 5 by means of a motiontransmission mechanism 15 which can comprise, for example, two bevel pinions and a clutch unit.

It is thus apparent that, when they reach the downstream side of the bar-layer, the head ends of the bars 3 are engaged by the endless screw 9 and that, as a result of the acceleration imparted thereto by the worm 14 of said screw, said head ends are caused to take up the positions shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.

The head ends of bars which have been counted at 10 can therefore be taken by one of the points of the first 3 star wheel 4, whereupon a following zone of the bar is taken by the following point of the following star wheel and so on in sequence. The counted bars thus swing over the series of star wheels 4 and are collected in a predetermined number so as to form a faggot at the bottom of the ramp 8.

However, it is understood that the bars are subjected to deformations and that, if special precautions were not taken, the tail ends located on the left-hand side as shown in FIG. 1 would not remain in faultless alignment as shown in the figure. For this reason, provision has been made beneath the bar-layer and more especially beneath the taii ends of the bars which are engaged by the endless screw 9 for an electromagnet 16 which is suppoited, for example, on a base 17. The function of said electromagnet is to attract the tail ends of bars 3 and to cause them to remain applied against the chains 1.

As shown partially in FIGS. 3 and 4, the electromagnet 16 is essentitally made up of eight coil units B1 to B8, six of which can be seen in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 3, there are shown the cores 18 18 and 18 of the coil units B1, B3, B5 which are traversed by the boits 19 19 etc. which serve to clamp said coil units between a bottom plate 20 of permeable sheet iron and two upper pole-plates 21-22. Said pole-plates are divided by grooves 23, 24 into successive zones which extend over the coil units.

Finally, the assembly is completed by a protective casing 25 of nonmagnetic material, the top face of which is located as shown in FIG. 3 in very close proximity to the iayer of bars, three of which have been shown by way of indication in the figure.

It is important to note that the windings of the different coil units (or their power supplies) have been so constituted that the coil units B1 and B2 induce in the corresponding portions of the pole-plates 21-22 a north-seeking pole and a south-seeking pole as designated in FIG. 4 by the letters N and S, the magnetic circuit being closed by the bottom plate 20.

The north and south poles N and S are separated from similar poles produced by the coil units B3 and B4 by virtue of the first grooves 23, 24 and so forth.

Furthermore, the coil units are so designed that the magnetic field strength or attractive force exerted by the coils is of increasing value in the downstream direction.

If the attractive force of the coils B1 and B2 is measured by the numerai 1, that of the coils B3 and B4 can, for example, be measured by the numeral 2, and the attractive forces of the coils B5 and B6, then B7 and B8 are thus equal to 3 and 4.

It will thus be understood that the tail ends of the bars 3 are not disturbed in their progress when they reach the zone of the electromagnet 16 at the upstream end since they are subjected to weak magnetic attraction.

The same applies when each tail end in turn reaches the zones of the following coils since the magnetic attraction to which they are subjected each time increases only to a slight extent.

However, in the downstream zone of the electromagnet, the bars are forcibly applied against the chains 1 and thereby prevented from overlapping and becoming tangled which they might otherwise have a tendency to do on account of the deformations to which they are additionally subjected under the action of the worm 14, of the endless screw 9 and the points of the star wheels 4.

However, it will be noted that the installation as herein described would be a condition to operate in a satisfactory manner only in respect of bars of predetermined length which reach the left-hand extremity of the installation.

Since the installation must, on the contrary, be able to process even bars of shorter length, provision has been made for a series of electromagnets 16 16 which are identical with the electromagnet 16.

These additional electromagnets are not put into operation only when bars of shorter length are found to be present but, on the contrary, perform a double function. In point of fact, it may happen that the length of some bars in a series is smaller than the theoretical length of the series. The tail ends of such bars are displaced with respect to the tail ends of normal bars and it is therefore an advantage to ensure that the tail ends thus displaced can be influenced by one of the electromagnets 16 16 and so forth. But it can also happen that the head end of a shorter bar is displaced towards the right-hand side with reference to FIG. 1; in such a case, the head end escapes from the endless screw 9 and therefore from the counter 16 and therefore must not be engaged by the star wheels since it has not been counted. In principle, a bar of this kind falls under gravity between the sprockets 2 and the star wheels 4. However, the bar can also be carried forward by the other bars, which would be wholly unacceptable. It is in this very instance that the series of electromagnets 16 16 etc., plays a major part. In fact, the attractive force exerted by the electromagnets causes the bar to remain applied against the chains 1 and to separate from the bars which are normally counted. It is apparent that, after the short rod which has been applied against the chains 1 has begun to swing round the sprockets 2, said bar finally drops under the action of gravity either by being freed from the attractive force of the electromagnet or after the supply to the electromagnets has been cut otf between two counting cycles.

It is in any case readily understood that the form of execution of the invention which has just been described has been given solely by way of nonlimitative example and that any detail modifications can be contemplated without thereby departing either from the scope or the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A selector for bars which are supplied transversely and in a continuous or noncontinuous layer, the selector being adapted to supply the bars to a further device, such as a separator, said selector comprising accelerator means capable of engaging the head ends of has one by one so as to impart thereto a forward movement of increasing velocity and at least one progressive-power electromagnet placed approximately beneath the tail ends of the bars which are engaged by the accelerator means.

2. A bar selector in accordance with claim 1, in which a plurality of progressive-power electromagnets are placed approximately beneath the bars which are engaged by the accelerator means.

3. A bar selector in accordance with claim 1, in which the electromagnet is constituted by a succession of pairs of coil units interposed between a bottom permeable-iron plate and two top pole-plates which are divided by transverse grooves into zones which extend over the successive coil units.

4. A bar seiector in accordance with claim 3, in which the electromagnet is enclosed within a non-magnetic casing whose top face is located in very close proximity to the bar-layer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,373,868 3/1968 Missioux.

EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

